The PAP’s central executive committee accepted the
resignation of Lee and five other members, including former
Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, during a meeting yesterday, the
party said on its Website.

Lee, 88, has been retreating from Singapore’s political
scene after the party won the May general election with the
smallest margin of popular vote since independence. The PAP
returned to power with 81 parliamentary seats out of 87, while
losing 39.9 percent of the popular vote.

“Leadership renewal in the party goes hand-in-hand with
self-renewal among MPs and ministers,” Prime Minister Lee Hsien
Loong, the party’s secretary-general and Lee Kuan Yew’s son,
said in the statement. “The party has much work ahead of it to
strengthen its roots, extend its outreach, and convince a new
generation of voters to support its ideals, vision and
programs.”

Lee, who led the island from U.K. rule and was premier
until 1990, resigned from the cabinet May 14, saying it was time
for a younger generation to “carry Singapore forward in a more
difficult and complex situation.” The move ended his five-decade presence in government leadership, when he crafted a
legacy of encouraging foreign investment, averting corruption
and emphasizing discipline, efficiency and interracial harmony.

The committee will appoint new members to fill the
positions, the party said. Other members who resigned from the
committee were Lim Boon Heng, Wong Kan Seng, George Yeo and Lim
Hwee Hua, according to the statement. Those who stepped down
were office-holders before the May 7 general election.